Zandvoort DTM: Timo Scheider ends pole drought as Audi dominates
Timo Scheider took his first DTM pole position for almost two years as Audi locked out the top five positions on the grid at Zandvoort
The two-time champion was in inspired form at the Dutch circuit and set the fastest time of the session overall with a late 1m31.354s effort in Q3 to ensure he would be the last man on-track in the single-lap Q4 shoot-out.
His 1m32.365s lap was enough to give the Abt Sportsline driver the 10th pole of his DTM career, 0.250 seconds clear of Mike Rockenfeller's Phoenix Racing A5.
The second row was filled by the Rosberg Audis of Filipe Albuquerque and Edoardo Mortara, who both made it into Q4 for the second weekend in a row.
Scheider's team-mate Mattias Ekstrom will start fifth. But the Swede had to rely on a blistering lap at the end of Q1 just to make sure he was not left on the final three rows.
HWA's Jamie Green and Schnitzer driver Dirk Werner were the best representatives from Mercedes and BMW respectively in sixth and seventh. Green managed his position despite a trip through the gravel on his penultimate flying lap of Q3.
Championship leader Gary Paffett was eighth, one spot ahead of his HWA team-mate Christian Vietoris. Adrien Tambay completed the top 10 for Abt.
Martin Tomczyk failed to make it into Q3, the German being edged out in the final minute of Q2 thanks to a blistering lap from Albuquerque that put the Portuguese driver top of the pile in the final minute.
Mercedes drivers Robert Wickens (Mucke) and Roberto Merhi (Persson) were also eliminated in Q2, although the Spaniard did achieve his best DTM grid spot in 14th. Britain's Andy Priaulx will start 16th in his RBM BMW.
There was high drama at the end of Q1 as a late effort from Joey Hand knocked Bruno Spengler, Paffett's closest challenger in the title race, out of contention.
Further late flyers from Ekstrom and Rockenfeller, who had both been in the elimination zone as the chequered flag went out, condemned Schnitzer driver Spengler to 18th on the grid, two places ahead of Augusto Farfus' RBM M3.
Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap 1. Timo Scheider Abt Audi 1m32.365s 2. Mike Rockenfeller Phoenix Audi 1m32.615s + 0.250s 3. Filipe Albuquerque Rosberg Audi 1m32.936s + 0.571s 4. Edoardo Mortara Rosberg Audi 1m33.094s + 0.729s 5. Mattias Ekstrom Abt Audi 1m31.605s Q3 6. Jamie Green HWA Mercedes 1m31.643s Q3 7. Dirk Werner Schnitzer BMW 1m31.767s Q3 8. Gary Paffett HWA Mercedes 1m31.820s Q3 9. Christian Vietoris HWA Mercedes 1m31.973s Q3 10. Adrien Tambay Abt Audi 1m32.127s Q3 11. Martin Tomczyk RMG BMW 1m31.992s Q2 12. Robert Wickens Mucke Mercedes 1m31.997s Q2 13. Miguel Molina Phoenix Audi 1m32.092s Q2 14. Roberto Merhi Persson Mercedes 1m32.241s Q2 15. Ralf Schumacher HWA Mercedes 1m32.295s Q2 16. Andy Priaulx RBM BMW 1m32.445s Q2 17. Joey Hand RMG BMW 1m33.052s Q1 18. Bruno Spengler Schnitzer BMW 1m33.156s Q1 19. Susie Wolff Persson Mercedes 1m33.161s Q1 20. Augusto Farfus RBM BMW 1m33.285s Q1 21. Rahel Frey Abt Audi 1m33.327s Q1 22. David Coulthard Mucke Mercedes 1m33.409s Q1
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